1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print apparatus, control method thereof, and a computer program and, more particularly, to a print control apparatus for printing an overcoating, which is applied to a print system of the print apparatus, its control method, and a computer program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many print apparatuses each of which can print and output image data photographed by equipment such as digital still camera, digital video camera, or cellular phone having an image input unit have been manufactured as products.
A thermal transfer method can be mentioned as an example of a print system used in a photo print apparatus which is used to print and output image data of a photograph or the like photographed by such image input equipment.
According to the thermal transfer print apparatus, print paper having a dye receptible layer on its surface is used and a plurality of heat generators arranged in a main scanning direction of a thermal head are selectively driven, thereby allowing a dye layer of an ink sheet to be thermally transferred to the dye receptible layer of the print paper. At the same time, by feeding the print paper in a sub scanning direction of the thermal head, a dot-line printing is performed onto the print paper and an image is formed onto the print paper.
A dye sublimation type thermal transfer print apparatus is a printer of such a type that a dye which has changed a state thereof from a solid to a gas through sublimation is deposited onto the print paper. According to such a type, since a smooth and excellent gradational image can be expressed by controlling the number of times and an amount of heating a head and changing a concentration of one pixel, it is a system suitable for a print output of a photograph.
According to the thermal transfer print apparatus, an ink sheet (ink ribbon) having a construction illustrated in FIG. 2 is generally used. Sublimational dye layers for a yellow (Y) color 201, a magenta (M) color 202, and a cyan (C) color 203 for forming an image are sequentially arranged on a base member of the ink sheet. An overcoating layer (thermal fusible resinous material clear layer) 204 for protecting the image forming layer is finally arranged. Each detection marker 205 of a leading position of the ink sheet is arranged between the respective ink sheets of the colors and between the ink sheet and the overcoating layer 204. A construction of a feature-based ink sheet exclusively for monochrome image printing or the like is not limited to the construction mentioned above.
One image is formed by the dye layers of the three colors of Y, M, and C and the overcoating layer (protection layer). FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a cross section of the print paper on which the image has been formed. A thermal transfer process is sequentially performed onto the print paper from a dye receptible layer 301 side of the print paper to a sublimational dye 302 for the yellow (Y) color, a sublimational dye 303 for the magenta (M) color, a sublimational dye 304 for the cyan (C) color, and an overcoating (OC) layer 305.
Since the image formed by the sublimational dye layers is protected by the overcoating layer, an abrasiveness is improved, a color fading appearing as time goes by is prevented, and a finishing with excellent durability and water-resistance can be realized.
Therefore, the layers of the Y/M/C colors and the OC layer are repeatedly arranged in the ink sheet in an ink sheet cartridge so that the number of times of repetition corresponds to the number of printable papers. Ordinarily, a length of ink sheet of the layers of the Y/M/C colors and the OC layer is set to such a length that an area having a size in a longitudinal direction of the print paper to be printed can be printed by the ink sheet.
In addition, there exists a print apparatus which is arranged such that when printing, a photographing time/date and arbitrary character information which is required by the user can be printed together into an image by settings of the print apparatus side exists. There is also another print apparatus having a function for expanding a variation of a print image so that a stamp and a graphic of a balloon shape are inserted as a pattern into an image.
However, when a printed matter is mailed as a postcard or the like, there may be a case where the user does wish to avoid such a situation that character information indicating personal information is read out by the third party other than a mail partner. On the other hand, such a function that character or symbol information is preliminarily concealed like a scratch printing and can be recognized as character or symbol information by the user's operation is demanded for a printed matter having a card size or the like, as expansion of a variation of the print image. On the contrary to such a demand, there is also such a demand that the user wishes to erase the unnecessary character information and graphic information.
For example, the Official Gazette of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-073034 discloses such a technique that a coating amount of an overcoating layer for protecting a print image is increased or decreased so that information which is requested by the user is recorded to the print image in such a manner that no influence is exerted on a photographed image. Since a thickness of overcoating layer of a character information portion differs, a reflectance also differs, so that the user can recognize the character information portions when viewing aslant a printed matter.
However, to recognize the character information, it is necessary to confirm the printed matter while projecting light thereto at a place where there is light such as a fluorescent lamp or the like. Thus, there is a problem in terms of visibility under a dark environment. There is also a possibility that the character information is unintentionally read out by the third party.